After a final breakfast and farewell to the crew, we started the long trek home. Our friends to Barcelona for a day and Mrs. SFO and I to Toulouse and what on paper look like a simple but long 18 hour journey back to Denver where we would arrive at 11PM tonight. I had originally planned to overnight in Frankfurt and return home tomorrow, but I found after noon TLS-MUC-ORD-DEN Miles & More availability. Despite the 45 minute MUC connection, worst case is we get home when we originally thought we would. Plus, what could possibly go wrong? It's efficient MUC and we're talking about Germans.
An hour and 20 minutes from Carcassonne is Toulouse Blagnac airport, a very nice modern facility. Also the home and final assembly facility of Airbus.
With priority security fast track lane, although not where the contract LH agent said it was. Ha. Oddly enough, we were the only one in the lane and we bypassed at least 100 pax and got the front of the queue.
Inside the secure area, a pleasant but long concourse.
And the Salon La Croix du Sud near Gate 34. Whoa, no subtle colors here.
Everything was fine until about T-60 when I received an email from LH...
Uh-oh. We have a tight 45 minute connection and our flight is delayed 80 minutes. Looks like we're not getting home tonight. But hey, on the bright side, someone else is paying for the hotel tonight. And we'll be getting 1,200 euros compensation from LH.
Yep, indeed it is delayed.
For the next hour, I searched EF and came up with a list of available F space flight, all great options from FRA tomorrow morning.
• FRA-ORD-DEN on the 748i
• FRA-IAH-DEN on the 388
• FRA-SEA-DEN on the 744
What could be better? I quick MUC-FRA flight, airport hotel and back to the FCT in the morning.
At around T-40, we headed off to our Gate 26.
Lots of pretty new planes over at Airbus assembly.
Toulouse-Munich
Lufthansa 2219
E95
1:10P-2:55P (sked)
2:35P-4:18P (actual)
June 20, 2015
Business Class
Seats 1A and 1D
Since we were the only Business Class pax today, once I changed seats to bulkhead seats, the two row cabin became a one row cabin, and the "curtain" was moved up a row. The bulkhead is only row to have in dopey Euro "Business Class" which is two economy seats, one for you, the other blocked.
Friendly FA offered PDBs and cashews. Mrs. SFO and I made a mutual decision today. After the decadent week, nothing but water on the way home.
More Airbus.
And this interesting one... The Beluga Airbus. For ferrying parts?
In the air...
Drinks and lunch, which was actually pretty good, tasty corned beef.
We taxied to our gate at about 4:20P. Our MUC-ORD flight had been delayed but alas didn't wait for us and had departed at 4:07P.
As the door opened, a FCL supervisor was waiting for us and escorted us to the lounge. She informed us that we had a room at the Hilton and she had rebooked us on tomorrow's MUC-LAX flight and connection to DEN. Once in the lounge, I gave her "my list". She verified that all of my three options were available and it was up to me as to which one we wished. "Have something to eat and then let me know which option you would prefer". All in all, pretty amazing IRROPS handling. The complete opposite of the disaster that is BA.
Off to eat...
We both had Vietnamese soup.
And the Wiener Schnitzel, a FCL classic. Fabulous!
Despite my recommendation to fly to FRA and overnight for better metal and the FCT, Mrs. SFO wanted "one less flight". Argh, woman. So here we are in Munich for the night, with the prospect of tomorrow's miserable "premium" boarding, a crappy plane and getting home 5 hours later than we would have otherwise. The supervisor checked us in and issued both MUC-LAX and LAX-DEN boarding passes.
See you tomorrow and we left for the Hilton. How bad can it be?
Nice lobby but challenged front desk staff.
And a depressing room.
After a nap, we decided to have a light bite ("maybe just a burger") and headed downstairs to use our LH meal voucher. The Hilton restaurant menu was not very appealing and quite frankly, the restaurant just plain smelled bad. So we headed back to the terminal. Almost ate at McDonald's but that would be a no tonight. Wound up at the Erdinger Sports Bar on the lower level just outside arrivals.
We split a burger, which was surprisingly good.